THE TEAM

CHIEF OF STAFF -- Rahm Emanuel
WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON -- Robert Gibbs
SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR -- David Axelrod
SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR -- Valerie Jarrett
WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL - Gregory Craig
ATTORNEY GENERAL - Eric Holder
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES - Tom Daschle

CNN is reporting that Daschle has been offered and accepted the position at HHS.

It does look as though Obama is trying to assemble a world class, rock star cabinet. Note: I have not put up Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State because at this point, it is still essentially speculation and we don't know what will happen. In the cases of Holder and Daschle, even though the announcements haven't been official, they seem very likely.

THE TEAM

CHIEF OF STAFF -- Rahm Emanuel
WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON -- Robert Gibbs
SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR -- David Axelrod
SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR -- Valerie Jarrett
WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL - Gregory Craig
ATTORNEY GENERAL - Eric Holder

NBC is reporting Holder has been offered the position and accepted.

Also, Obama apparently appointed several lower-staff level jobs last week, but this list I'm compiling will only deal with high-level positions.

GUTLESS!

Once again, I am reminded why I don't like to call myself a Democrat. They have let that slimiest of slimeballs, Joe Lieberman, keep his powerful Homeland Security chair.

But, get this. Their version of punishment is stripping him of the chairmanship of some insubstantial subcommittee. What a kick to the balls this is.

Way to go, Democrats. Just remember, when the snake bites you, you knew all along it was a snake.

THE TEAM

CHIEF OF STAFF -- Rahm Emanuel
WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON -- Robert Gibbs
SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR -- David Axelrod
SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR -- Valerie Jarrett
WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL - Gregory Craig

THE TEAM

I will update this and re-post as new people are brought in:

CHIEF OF STAFF -- Rahm Emanuel
WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON -- Robert Gibbs
SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR -- David Axelrod
SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR -- Valerie Jarrett

THANKS, SENATOR McCAIN

Thank you John McCain and Sarah Palin for riling up the nutjob wing of the GOP to the point where record numbers of people (read: their wacky right-wing supporters) want to inflict serious harm upon Barack Obama.

The number of threats against Obama is higher than any other president-elect. I can only imagine how poorly Michelle Obama sleeps some nights.

Well, what should we expect when we have numbnuts like this running around the country? NOT ONE of the leaders of this wing of the GOP has stood up and told these people to calm down, give Obama some breathing room, let him have his shot, and, by the way, he's not a terrorist!

Oh yeah. Don't forget jerk-offs like these people, either.

Personally, I can't ever forgive McCain or Palin for the campaign they ran. I fear for Obama's safety.

WE (DON'T) GOT WOOD!

I'm a huge Cubs fan. When I moved to Chicago in 1997 I was not a baseball fan (what would you expect after growing up with the disgraceful Cleveland Indians as your hometown team (they were always awful in the 80s and early 90s)). But I used to take the Red Line everyday when I lived in Rogers Park and worked downtown. I was always enamored with the Addison stop, where you could see into Wrigley. Somehow that turned me into a fan. (That, and being in a city with a National League team. I hate the designated hitter. It is the most ridiculous position ever conceived in professional sports.)

In 1998, Kerry Wood pitched a 20-strikeout game as a rookie. It was a blessing and a curse. He never came close to matching that performance (well, he did pitch a few one-hit games and often struck out more than 10 when he was a starter). And since 2003, every season has started with Cubs fans biting their nails at the thought of an unhealthy Kerry Wood.

And, like clockwork, every season, he goes on the DL. I told a friend of mine last Summer when Wood was injured around the time of the All-Star Game that I was tired of the Cubs being held hostage to Woody's injuries.

Apparently, so are the Cubs. For the first time since I became a Cubs fan, Kerry Wood will not be wearing a Cubs uniform. Part of me is saddened by this. And another part of me is simply relieved.

Bring on Marmol.

OW! THE STUPID!!

As much as I dislike Sarah Palin and all she represents, I'm slowly feeling more at ease with her as the face of the GOP for the next 4 years. It could make our job really easy.



Now, Jed did cut this up a bit, but it gets to the general point about Palin: She's a moron.

Also, I highly suggest this piece on Palinese by Matt Taibbi. The part where he translates her statement into German then Japanese and back to English had me in tears.

IT'S OVER!

Apparently, someone forgot to tell Sarah Palin:

a) The election is over

b) YOU LOST

c) The electorate thinks you are the nation's number one nitwit and nothing you say or do will change that right now

d) Barack Obama has not been sworn in yet, so please stop running for president in 2012 already.

Seriously, what is up with the media already talking about the GOP's nominee in 2012? Obama hasn't even named one cabinet secretary and all these shows are discussing who's the current front runner. It's no wonder people hate politics so much.

I really can not stand Sarah Palin and all she represents and, unlike many of my fellow Obama supporters who are already praying she become the nominee in '12, I'd rather see her disappear from the national scene. To me, she is everything that is wrong with this country.

While I'm at it, I'd also like to ask everyone liberal out there to calm down about Obama's cabinet choices and policy decisions. Everything we've heard so far is nothing but speculation and, as Sarah Palin needs to be told, Obama has not even appointed one cabinet memeber yet. So, please, calm down! (And read John Cole's absolute annihalation of one of our Democratic concern trolls. It's brilliant!)

QUICK RANT

Rachel Maddow is already poo-poohing Obama's cabinet on Air America Radio.

Are you serious?

She's calling it Clinton's 3rd term because Rahm Emanuel was named Chief of Staff. Is this what the hard-core left (of which I consider myself a part) is going to do immediately? No wonder we never get our mandates through. Not even 48 hours after he was elected and Maddow sounds like she wants to start an internal civil war over Rahm Emanuel.

GOOD POINT

David Sirota makes an excellent point about Joe "two-face" Lieberman.

Lieberman has been a partisan attack dog for the Republicans against Obama for many months now. Empowering that attack dog with the subpoena power that comes with a committee chairmanship (and especially on a committee whose role is broad executive investigations) is insane.

THE TEAM

I will update this and re-post as new people are brought in:

CHIEF OF STAFF -- Rahm Emanuel
WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON -- Robert Gibbs
SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR -- David Axelrod

SINCE ELECTION DAY

I haven't written anything about Obama's election because I don't know what to say. Before November 4th, I thought I would weep like a baby the moment they announced him as the new President-elect.

Instead, what came over me was a stunned silence. And I haven't really gotten past that yet. I shed a small tear when I saw Colin Powell interviewed on CNN about Obama's victory, but, other than that, I am so in awe and so overwhelmed that I really don't know what to say.

Probably the only thing I would like to say to Obama (and I'm sure he's been aware of this from the start): FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.

JOE THE DOUCHEBAG

Ben Smith had this video of "Joe" the "Plumber" going mano a mano with Rick Sanchez on CNN. In the comments of Smith's post, the first one I read simply said: "Joe the Douchebag."

Really. Here's another one we're not going to miss everyday, right?

** for some reason, I'm having trouble linking to this video, so please click on the link above**

IF YOU BECOME VP

Really, will anyone miss Sarah Palin everyday?

I CALLED IT 4 YEARS AGO

The Atlantic has some of the best blogs out there, as you may well know. In my mind, Sullivan has the best blog I've seen so far. Period. Ambinder is a great source of information. And last week, I discovered Ta-Nehisi Coates. His blog page is truly excellent, too.

Coates has a post today titled "The moment I went all in..." and links to Obama's victory speech after the South Carolina primary. It got me thinking about the moment that I went all in with Obama.

I live in Illinois and when Obama won the Senatorial primary in 2004, I had barely heard of him. There were two guys running against him (whose names I can no longer remember, nor do I care) and they basically beat the crap out of each other through the whole campaign. Seriously, I woke up the day after the primary and saw some guy named Obama had won the primary. Who?

Who the hell is nominating someone with that name? The Dems must want to get trounced.

You'll recall that Obama was slated to run against a really good-looking Republican named Jack Ryan until he (unfairly, in my mind) was decapitated by the GOP once it was revealed he and his ex-wife liked to get freaky.

I began to follow Obama, but not really -- I mean, I knew I was going to vote for him. When I found out that Kerry had picked him to give the keynote address, I was stunned again. Clearly, my interest in the Illinois Senate race was piddling, but people were talking more and more about this amazing nominee we had. Kerry noticed it, too -- the best decision he made in his entire campaign was to give Obama the keynote speech.

In 2004, I was dating a Republican. We watched Obama's convention speech together. She sneered, and I cried. I told her, "He's going to be the first black president." Naturally, she guffawed. But that was my moment -- the moment I went all in. I feel like I've had his back ever since.



Kerry lost, Obama won. I was so happy about our new Senator that I almost didn't care about Kerry's loss. Obama was the future, I was sure. Should he decide to run in '08, I'd be with him -- no matter what. When he declared, I cheered but didn't think he stood a chance against Hillary.

When he won Iowa, I jumped up and down like a child on a trampoline. He inspired me to volunteer for a cause (his campaign) for the first time in 12 years. And his call for a citizenry that is active in its community has me looking for a place to volunteer once I've unwound from this election season.

Get out and vote today and hold on to your hats. Tonight should be a wild ride.

LIFE ISN'T FAIR

Ever since I got married in May, I feel like I'm more in touch with my own mortality and think about death and its consequences everday.

Still, Obama's grandmother passing away one stinkin' day before his historic election is just not right.

Go home and tell your family you love them. Forever.

REPUBLICANS SUCK!

Because I couldn't say it any better myself, I urge you to read John Cole's brilliant lambasting of the right-wing.
A small excerpt:

Now, for a moment, consider what the Republican 30 minute infomercial would look like this year- if I had to guess, it would be ten minutes about McCain as a POW, ten minutes of McCain saying he isn’t Bush, and then ten minutes of bullshit smears about Ayers, Khalidi, socialism, celebrity, and maybe Rick Davis could go before the cameras and pull a tire gauge out of his ass. For sheer nostalgia, maybe the lead McCain blogger could put those table-top gamers back in their place again. All the while, McCain could pepper his speech with folksy rejoinders about earmarks. And now that we are done with a hypothetical Republican 30 minutes, how did McCain actually respond to the commercial? In case you missed it, he whinged about public financing (when did that become a Republican cause) and then muttered something about Obama delaying the World Series, and even that was a lie.

I AM COOL!

I just voted early.

And I just voted for an African-American for president.

Pinch me.

I'M SO SMART!

Ross Douthat is saying Jindal is going to be a big player in the GOP and is a good bet to be on the ticket in 2012.

Of course, we already know this, because I said it a week ago.

My guess is they're going to try and find their version of Barack Obama for 2012. Partly because of his race, but mostly because he is young, attractive, articulate and, supposedly well-liked in his state, I will tell you right now, Bobby Jindal is going to be on the GOP ticket in 2012. Palin will not.